Don Quixote

Author: (Spanish) Miguel de Cervantes
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2000-05-01
Features: Cervantes' name is no longer unfamiliar in China. He was hailed as the "Father of Modern Fiction" by authors such as Charles Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, and Leo Tolstoy. The image of the two roving knights—one tall and lean, the other short and fat—in Don Quixote is well-known to people of all ages. Cervantes has been enshrined as a classic author in history, and Don Quixote has continued to receive attention from the literary world, captivating audiences with its unique charm. Don Quixote is one of the most internationally acclaimed and influential Spanish literary masterpieces.
The first part narrates how Don Quixote, enchanted by chivalric romances, attempts to imitate the life of ancient knights. He assembles a suit of armor, rides a lean horse, and embarks on his first adventure, returning home injured. On his second outing, he enlists his neighbor Sancho Panza as a squire and together they go on many absurd and ridiculous quests: mistaking windmills for giants, a inn for a castle, and a flock of sheep for enemies—only to nearly meet his demise before being rescued and brought home.
The second part describes Don Quixote embarking on his third adventure with his squire Sancho Panza, recounting his hair-raising encounters along the way and how the Countess tricks Don Quixote and Sancho. It also depicts how Sancho becomes a governor and rules an island. Eventually, Don Quixote is defeated by his neighbor Simon the Knight, returns home, falls ill, and only realizes the folly of his chivalric pursuits upon his deathbed, condemning the romances he so beloved.